From the time they traded center fielder Shane Victorino in July, they knew they would have to find his replacement on the open market. General manager Ruben Amaro Jr. has made no secret about this, and the team has been a player for anyone who it believes is an upgrade at that position.

The problem is the Phillies have limited funds and two of their top targets, B.J. Upton and Angel Pagan, are off the market. That means their pockets have to get deeper or they need to consider other options besides a first- or second-tier center fielder.

“We didn’t have a Plan A. We had like 10 Plan Bs,” Amaro told reporters at the winter meetings Monday after he was asked how Upton and Pagan’s signings affected his agenda. “I just didn’t think the marketplace was all that strong in the beginning. … There were some good players out there, and there still are some good players out there, but I don’t know if there’s a difference-maker.”

Then Amaro added this: “Maybe one.”

That “one” is free agent Josh Hamilton, but his reported asking price pretty much assures the Phillies won’t sign him. When Amaro was asked if he was in on that difference-maker, he said, “Come on. Next question.”

Amaro understands the inflated market, and he hasn’t been willing to overpay for what he doesn’t believe are elite players. He didn’t believe it was worth matching the Atlanta Braves’ $75 million offer to Upton—$55 million was Philly’s top offer—and he doesn’t think Michael Bourn is worth whatever he will receive from another team.

Upton and Bourn are the “Plan As” relative to the market; some of those “Plan Bs” probably include players who can’t play center field. Those corner outfielders aren’t what the Phillies wanted to go after when the offseason started.

As of now, the Phillies aren’t interested in bringing back Victorino because they don’t see him making the team better. Because of that, and because Upton and Pagan are signed, they might have to trade for a center fielder. Reports have them talking to the Colorado Rockies about Dexter Fowler, but the Rockies will want a lot for him and Fowler’s road numbers—he is a .248 away hitter vs. .295 at home—suggest his offense might be a product of Coors Field.

The Los Angeles Angels’ Peter Bourjos could have been another option, but the Angels lost Torii Hunter to free agency and they don’t like having Vernon Wells as a starter, so Bourjos is no longer available.

The Phillies don’t have an obvious internal option for center field, so upgrading one or both corners would lessen the need for an impact player at that spot. Nick Swisher has averaged 26 homers and an .850 OPS over the last four seasons with the New York Yankees; Ryan Ludwick hit 26 home runs and had an .877 OPS last season with the Cincinnati Reds. Swisher, though, would cost a draft pick, and 16 of Ludwick’s homers came in Cincinnati’s Great American Ball Park, which is ahead of Coors Field in allowing long balls.

If the Phillies go the corner route, having a big bat in center won’t be as necessary, so long as the new center fielder can play above-average defense.

And if the Phillies can’t land significant outfield help, then they just might double down on their strength: pitching.

Roy Halladay is coming off a shoulder injury and Vance Worley couldn’t repeat the success of his 2011 rookie season, so Amaro might opt to improve that part of the team to mask problems in the outfield.

“We may have to put the money into pitching instead,” Amaro said. “Make a strength stronger.”